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Risky business NFL teams wonder if Collins is worth picking
Posted: Wednesday April 14, 1999 05:06 PM
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Cecil Collins is so good at running the football that he could be a first-round draft pick Saturday, although he played in just six college games. Instinct and a muscle-packed body that seems almost designed for the game make it look easy for him to punch through defenses, sprint downfield, score touchdowns. He's so good that teams may even be willing to overlook his off-field problems: failed drug tests, two felony convictions and the four years of probation he's currently serving. "He's got first-round ability," New Orleans Saints director of college scouting Bruce Lemmerman said. "You can't deny his talent." Nobody denies Collins' ability. What worries them is when he leaves the football field. Collins played three 1997 games for LSU that electrified football fans, rushing for 583 yards on 69 carries. But he made just three carries in his fourth game against Vanderbilt before breaking his right leg. Collins never suited up for the Tigers again. He was kicked off the team last June 25 after he was arrested and charged with barging into an apartment and fondling a young woman. He was arrested again July 8 on similar charges. As talented as he was, Collins had trouble finding another college team to play for. McNeese State finally took a chance, but kicked him out Sept. 15 after Collins failed a court-ordered drug test. Collins spent a month in jail and two months in a halfway house. His college career was over, but maybe not his football career. In a deal worked out with prosecutors, Collins plead guilty to two misdemeanors and two felonies and was given probation, reassuring NFL teams he won't be in jail instead of on the practice field. But will Collins stay out of trouble from now on? With the memory of Lawrence Phillips, the sixth overall pick in 1996 and a washout as a pro, so fresh, will pro teams gamble on Collins? "He's an interesting player," said Miami's Jimmy Johnson, one of the coaches reportedly interested in Collins. "He has as much risk as any high-profile guy that has come around in a long time. But if you're picking late in the first round, there's going to be risk with every player." Johnson was one of the people willing to take a look at Phillips after he flopped with St. Louis. But Phillips didn't stay out of trouble as a Dolphin, either, and was released. Collins, 5-foot-10, 208 pounds, worked with a personal trainer when he got out of jail in January. At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, he clocked a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash after only six weeks of training. Three weeks later, Collins was doing private auditions for a dozen NFL teams. "I just thank the Lord and the NFL for giving me another chance," said Collins, who said he spent his jail time reading the Bible. "I plan to show everyone what I can do, the kind of athlete I am. I'm going to work hard and do things right." Collins, with his ready smile and bubbling sense of humor, is a likable person with exceptional talent and a solid work ethic on the field, according to those who know him. "When he hit the practice field, he had only one speed, and that was full speed," said McNeese running backs coach John Nagle. Off the field, Collins had long flouted rules. "He probably always got a little extra leeway," said Danny Smith, Collins' high school coach who used to drive Collins to school every morning. "You have a player like that, you're going to take care of him." Collins follows in the footsteps of other players with talent and troubles. Randy Moss wasn't taken until the 21st pick of last year's draft because teams couldn't ignore his problems as a teen-ager. He went on to be selected an All-Pro and Offensive Rookie of the Year. "With Randy Moss, you knew he was a heck of a player," Johnson said. "With Cecil, you've got to be concerned with everything." Collins has proclaimed himself a changed man. The attorneys who represented him on criminal charges agree. "Cecil has been drug-tested every week since October and has been clean every time," said Rodney Baum, one of Collins' attorneys. "He's done everything we asked him. He's acknowledged his wrongdoing and he's ready to move on." In addition to the weekly drug-testing, Collins must remain in counseling and refrain from using drugs and alcohol for the four years he's on probation. Smith said he thought if an older player would take Collins under his wing, it would keep him out of trouble. Collins is counting on a jail-house conversion and lessons learned from the past year to keep him straight. "I intend to do the right thing," Collins said after his court date. "I'm glad to have another chance, and I'm going to make the most of it."
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